3/20/2017 0 Comments Circle April 17 & 18!Pre-order Beneath the Layers from NineStar Press! for my short "After the Dance" and seven other tales Available April 17
Pre-order City of Dreams from Less Than Three Press! Available April 18
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3/7/2017 1 Comment Bye, Bye, Blog!So it's MARCH and this is my first post of 2017! I know no one's noticed, which is such a relief--I would hate to think I've let anyone down!
ANALYSIS: I love to bitch about bad writing, and someone suggested that this was a good way to turn off readers. Is my blog for readers? ::listens to the crickets:: Well...no. As I slowly immerse myself into the m/m writing community--like deathly slow, because it's made up of people; which aren't really my thing, generally speaking--I was also feeling like I couldn't review books anymore because what if I hurt someone right in the ego? I mean, I don't hate everything I read, obviously. But it's the stuff I don't like that I really want to bitch about. Not the stories that just aren't to my taste, those are fine. It's the stories that have no editing; stiff, unnatural dialogue; utterly implausible human behaviour. Or fail technically with paragraphs of boring descriptions and pages and pages of telling at the expense of the story. Am I writing for other writers to maybe learn what not to do? Not really... CONCLUSION: I was writing to bitch because I like to bitch about bad writing. No ulterior motives. It's fun! So this is officially no longer a blog (suggestive of regular updates). It's my RAVINGS! And now and then I'll mention some news ::tosses glitter in the air::. Oh, and pretty pictures.
Abercrombie Zombie by K.Z. Snow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars Drat, the computer ate my review. The "I didn't save it elsewhere" version: The romance does not involve the titular zombie, which was kind of a relief. But since it was a romance, there wasn't enough about the titular zombie. Also, bi doesn't seem to be a thing in this story which makes the non-POV love interest kind of... a dick. But hey, love is blind, and it was first person (which was handled well), so I could see it enough to keep reading. Good way to kill a couple hours, not sorry I paid for it, but won't be reading it again. View all my reviews 12/5/2016 0 Comments Pre-made Ebook Covers--Sci-FiAs some of you already know, I have some pre-made ebook covers that I sell really cheap ($25). Are they super unique? Not really. Are they better than you can make yourself? Probably. And I personally won't use the same image on someone else's cover. So if you've got a sci-fi epic and your cover is some earthly clouds in a solid colour KDP template, looking like a collection of angsty poetry (yup, seen it), I might have something slightly more science fiction-y for you! New covers are added regularly! Sci-fi not your bag? Check out other genres on my pre-made covers page!
Cabaret Rollo Rouge continues to look for a home after six months with Carina. Their rejection was very nice, though, along the lines of it not being what they're looking for but being certain another publisher would like it. Testing that theory...
MEANWHILE, I sold another short story for another anthology, and the publisher/editor asked to see more of my work, so I sent them The Lure of Port Stephen. Waiting, naturally. Writing is waiting. ALSO I am writing an mpreg story that at least attempts to be plausible, because reasons. You all likely know by now how little patience I have for writers who wave their hand and say, "It doesn't have to make sense, IT'S FANTASY!" or worse, "IT'S FICTION!" No, my dears, that's what we call "lazy writing." I want to mention some works-in-progress, mostly as impetus to finish them -- Fair Hearts, a m/m fairytale story drawing loosely on Snow White, and Morning Star, same only the inspiration is Aladdin. Once I finish Diplomacy Squared, I will be working on these with imaginary deadlines-for-submission, as that seems to be a motivator for me. Let's see how much I can get done before the end of 2016! 11/9/2016 1 Comment Review--Save of the Game, Avon Gale
Save of the Game by Avon Gale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, because I would have liked to see the relationship/exploration between the the m/c's happen less in a bubble--they seemed very much apart from the rest of their world and then when they emerged it was "Oh, by the way, the whole team knows you're together". And I would have liked more scenes to show how much Ethan loved the hockey camp stuff that turns out to be the final solution, because it felt a little contrived. But mostly, the story made me smiley happy, and that means this is another Avon Gale story that I will read again and again, and that's definitely worth 4 stars. Also, this line -- “I’m sleeping with a man I barely know. Hurry. Tell me shit before we turn into an independent film.” SO CUTE! View all my reviews
*NOTE* This is book two of a series, but it totally stands alone. Best kind of series, imo.
10/13/2016 2 Comments Bad Writing Monday--MirrorsSo I bought approx. 20 print books and 100 digital ones this summer. And I have to say...if I read about one more character looking in the mirror to describe themselves I will puke. All over the Internet. This has got to be not only the laziest writing ever, but also highly implausible. How often do you look in the mirror and notice your "tresses" (ugh, another word that should be banned from writers' vocabularies) or your bone structure or your eye colour? Like, maybe you'll think, "Christ, my hair looks like a rat's nest" or "Eek! Is that another grey hair??" but do you really think about the cut, texture, and style of it? SERIOUSLY?
Everything about this situation was so surreal. She considered the possibility she was dreaming within a coma again as she turned on the water for a quick shower. He had a good quality shampoo and conditioner--not surprising with his abundant, if ill-cut, hair--and a body wash that smelled vaguely familiar. He'd probably used it to wash off the blood from her wound last night. If this was a dream, it was the most richly detailed one she'd ever had. One she probably wouldn’t wake up from, assuming that it had started after she’d been shot. She used his towels and stared at the dress he'd said she was supposed to wear. It looked on the hanger like a black scarf with bits of red tulle on it. Was he serious? Her mind drew a picture of his face, what she'd seen of it, complete with smirk. She sighed. When he had sat beside her, stroked her cheek, she'd felt... not attraction, things were too weird for that. Alarmed was a word that came to mind, but also reassured. She nodded into the mirror. He had a magnificent confidence that was reassuring, in spite of everything. He had, after all, practically kidnapped her... she caught her reflection, wrapped in thick towels and blowing her hair dry. Yeah, poor Carmen, so ill-used. "A gilded cage is still a cage," she muttered to her reflection. She used his brush, seeing no other. It was clean, with only a few stray hairs caught in it. They looked and felt like any other human hair she'd seen. He had set out a new toothbrush for her, who else, and she used it, while rummaging through the drawers and cabinets of his bathroom. There was nothing there to suggest he had lots of female visitors, or indeed any. Yet she'd definitely got the impression he knew his way around women. She pulled the dress on, like a body stocking. And that's how it fit -- if she'd had panties, she couldn't have worn them with this dress. A tuft of red tulle in the center of the neckline pretended to provide modesty, while calling attention to the cleavage it wasn't covering. She cracked the door. "Carabas? This isn't a dress -- it's a fetish outfit!" He chuckled. She looked at herself in the mirror. It wasn't really that bad, though certainly nothing she'd ever worn before. A basic black strapless sheath dress in clingy jersey, it was the red ribbon and tulle accents that gave it a costume-y look. She wondered if he knew her shoe size, too. See kids? That's what people do in front of mirrors.
10/2/2016 3 Comments Happy October--maybe?First the good news. Starstruck was released on September 12, but I was suffering from a surfeit of company at the time and sadly failed to properly mark the occasion. So better a late blog announcement than none at all, yay!
Got it? Good!
The other news is, I'll be back to city life and a full size bathroom and 24/7 internet on October 15. I may be one of the few people who actually feels more productive with the internet available all the time. Although I did get two novellas written, and half of two more. (Finish things, dammit!) And finally on a very sad note, for all the crybaby feels and yes, I am a poor widdle pookie--I sent Cabaret Rollo Rouge off to Carina in answer to a specific call for m/m paranormal etc... Carina is the digital imprint of the illustrious Harlequin, famous for paperback romances for, like, almost ever. They said a response, either yea or nay, would be forthcoming within twelve weeks. Welcome to fourteen weeks and no response. It is "in progress" which means... nothing. For all I know the submission never made it past the submittable website. FOURTEEN WEEKS! There ought to be a law against torturing writers that way. Besides, I could totes sell that story to...someone. Heck, I could self pub it and make $$. It's an awesome story. (I hate it, I hate everything I write, even when I love it.) I even did a great cover for it, if someone wants to pay me for both the story and the cover art (yes, I know, I should hit the comedy circuit.) 9/15/2016 2 Comments In the Spotlight: Katherine Bryant
And of course, she's on Facebook because all the cool writers are on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/katherinebryant.author/ Remember kids--writers live and die by our reviews, so if you delve into Katherine's work, be sure to review it! That's the title of a book I found at a yard sale, publication date--1897.
It has a dictionary of the English language, plus a section for American English... among other things. The 1890s are my favourite decade and this book is a wonderful snapshot on the times. It will be the subject of a few blog posts. |
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